Small businesses face significant challenges in adapting to, and taking advantage of, an increasingly networked world. The Internet (800) has opened up new opportunities and challenges for retailers to better service their customers. The Internet (800) can provide a vehicle for customers to place orders online. Some retailers provide systems that enable customers to place orders online. However, such dedicated systems are typically out of reach for many businesses from a cost standpoint.
To attract customers, some retailers permit customers to use the access point (440) to access internet (800) without requiring the customers to make purchases. Other retailers provide customers with access codes on purchase receipts (1400); and the customers can use the access codes to log into the in-store wireless networks for a limited period of time.